Solve the puzzle, Save a life
by Daylilly65
Summary: Luke and Layton are asked to investigate a series of "strange happenings" in the village of Beckenham, but when the supposed sender turns out to be three weeks dead, something darker is uncovered. Then the bodies start piling up, each one with a puzzle which, if solved, will point to the next person to die. Can they find the killer before it's too late? (9 years after UF)
1. Chapter 1: A String of Numbers

9 years after unwound future

Chapter one

"Hello, Professor!"

A lump came to Professor Hershel Layton's throat; he couldn't believe how much the boy had grown. The small, innocent child with a fervent curiosity in his eyes had been replaced with a tall, strapping college student. "Luke" he said with a smile, the two embraced.

"It's good to see you!" Said Layton, he gestured to a chair, "Please, sit down."

"How have you been?"

"Busy" replied Luke, "what with college and all, but exams are finally over! And you?"

"I've been better" he replied quietly. The truth was he was not well at all, he had injured his leg recently in a fall and it wasn't healing properly, the doctor had said that if it didn't heal up he would need to start using a cane, but for now, he was managing without it.

Luke was about to say "what happened" but instead heard shouting outside

"Professor LAAAAAYTON!" Someone shouted, the two men covered their ears. "What a ghastly sound…" remarked Luke.

The door burst open and a thin young woman rushed inside. "Good morning Professor!"

"Good morning, Jessica" said Layton as pleasantly as he could, "what brings you here?"

"The hall porter was distributing the mail" said Jessica, handing him several crumpled envelopes, "I was already on the way up so I thought I'd take it off his hands!"

He took the envelopes from her, trying his best to keep his face neutral. "Thank you Jessica" he replied, forcing a smile.

She smiled and skittered out.

Luke gave Layton a quizzical look, raising one eyebrow slightly. Layton chuckled lightly, "Jessica moved into the flat three doors down a few days ago, she's trying to make a good first impression I imagine."

Luke nodded, "my first impression of her is; she's a little eccentric but she means well."

"You wouldn't be far off there." Layton shuffled through the mail, _bill, bill, advertisement for a life insurance company; _his eyes fell on the one envelope that had a return address on it, a very strange return address.

_77 Osborne Lane, _

_Beckenham _

_You'll find out soon enough_

Luke peered over his shoulder, "'you'll find out soon enough'?" Muttered Luke,

"Have I taught you nothing Luke?" Teased Layton, "a gentleman doesn't read over another's shoulder!"

Luke laughed, "Sorry." Luke nudged Layton's shoulder, "come on, open it!"

Layton carefully opened the envelope, removing the letter inside, he read it out:

_Dear Professor Layton,_

_Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to read my letter! _

_I am writing to you because something terrible has happened in my town; several strange happenings have occurred in this town. The police have written them off as accidents, but I know otherwise. _

_At the bottom of the page is a puzzle, much like what you'll have to face here, explaining who I am. I hope you can solve it._

_I'm sure you're very busy, but if you can find time to help a scared woman we'd be much obliged. The address on this envelope is not my house, but if you go to that town and ask someone for me they'll know where to find me._

- _5,17,18,19,16,8,7 _

Layton's brow furrowed at the seemingly random string of numbers. "5, 17, 18, 19, 16, 8 and 7?" He muttered. The fifth letter in the alphabet was E, but if he went by placement in the alphabet the result was E, Q, R, S, P, H, G. _EQRSPHG? _He thought, _gibberish. _

"What do these numbers mean?" Muttered Luke, his eyes caught the periodic table of the elements on display in the corner of the room. "Of course!" Luke rushed over and pulled the plaque from the wall. "Let's try using the periodic table." Said Luke,

Layton's lips curled into a smile, _clever, _he thought. He picked up a pen, "5; Boron, B." He scrawled a curly letter B onto the letter under the corresponding number, "17, Chlorine, Cl." He wrote "Cl" next to the B,

"18, Argon, Ar," "19, potassium, K," "16, sulfur, S," "8, oxygen, O," "7, Nitrogen, N." He looked down at his handiwork and smiled with satisfaction; the letters formed together to read BClArKSON.

"B. Clarkson." Layton read, "very good Luke."

"I learned from the best." Replied Luke, quickly grabbing his bag,

"Where are you going?"

"What are _you_ waiting for? Let's go pay this, Ms. Clarkson a visit!" Said Luke, "come on, it'll be just like old times; Professor Layton and his apprentice solve a puzzling mystery!"

Layton couldn't help but smile; he stood up and followed Luke to the door, trying his best to disguise his limp.

…

The Laytonmobile chugged along the bumpy road; they had discovered that Beckenham was not a very well-known town. They had already gotten lost three times on the way there, and had to ask for directions. "We're here" said Luke, pointing out the window, a shabby sign on the side of the road read "Welcome to Beckenham" in crooked black letters; they could see the lights shining from inside the houses.

"This must be the place," muttered Layton.

They drove slowly down the road, looking for street signs in the near darkness, they finally found Osborne lane and turned right.

_75, 76, 77! _He thought, he opened the door of the car and stepped out. Luke felt as shiver go up his spine as he got out of the car; something about this town gave him the heebie-jeebies. He couldn't explain exactly what it was about the town that creeped him out; maybe the lack of streetlamps? Maybe the dead trees and lack of birds? Or perhaps the fact that their destination was an old, stone church with a graveyard stretching all the way around it?

"Let's go" said Layton, opening the metal gate in front of the church. Luke felt a shiver go up his spine; it was definitely the graveyard. Most of the headstones in front of the church were in awful shape; worn with age, cracked, and covered with cobwebs, add the fact that it was dusk and it was the perfect opening setting for a bad horror movie. Professor Layton gripped the wooden door knob to one of the tall red doors and pulled it open slightly, only to find that there was a chain lock on the other side and he couldn't open it all the way. He shut the door and knocked several times. He could hear the sound of footsteps, _click, click. _The lock came undone and the door swung open revealing a tall, pale man of around thirty five. The white collar around his neck identified him as a priest.

"Hello" he said pleasantly, he caught Luke eyeing the metal chain which now touched the floor "please excuse the lock; we had a robbery two years ago." He gestured to the sanctuary, "of course if you've come here to say your prayers, you're welcome to…"

"I'm afraid not, Reverend…?"

"Michael Crane" he replied, "If I may ask, what is your name?"

"My name is Hershel Layton, and this is my assistant, Luke Triton."

"Professor Layton" he replied, nodding his head slightly, "I've heard of you; what brings you to our little town?"

"Do you know of a, Ms. Clarkson living around here?" Asked Luke,

He gave Luke a quizzical look, as if confused, "Beatrice? Yes…" he replied "I _knew _her; why do you ask?"

"We received a letter from her yesterday, she asked us to come here and ask someone about where to find her." Replied Luke

"What?"

Layton took the letter from his pocket and handed it to Crane, "She wished for us to investigate some 'strange happenings' in this town."

Crane furrowed his brow, reading the letter several times, he looked up at them, "you're absolutely sure you received it yesterday?"

"Of course we are" said Luke, his patience wearing thin "could you tell us where to find her?"

"I don't think you understand." Replied Crane, "Mrs. Clarkson is dead."

…

The three stared at each other for what felt like a long time. "…Dead?"

Crane nodded gravely, "yes, three weeks dead, I performed the funeral service." He shook his head, "poor woman."

"What happened to her?" Asked Luke,

Crane bit his lip, "…according to the police it was natural causes…"

"You don't believe them?" Said Layton,

"I don't think anyone in the village does." Replied Crane, lowering his voice, "there were just too many coincidences."

"What sort of coincidences?"

"Her husband Wallace died a mere two days earlier, we ended up burying them in the same coffin" he pointed to the slip of paper in Layton's hand, "the puzzle on that sheet? It was found crumpled in his left hand, written in dripping red ink."

"A clue pointing to the next victim," said Luke, nodding his head.

"The police assumed it was some sort of calculation, but no one believed it, and now poor Beatrice is dead." He sighed.

"How did she die?" Asked Layton,

"I don't know" replied Crane, "no one knows for sure. But I think you should talk to the man who lives on the hill over there, he's the one who found the body."

"What's his name?"

"… David Renaldi or, David Reynolds or something like that" replied Crane, "I've only met him once, and he barely ever comes down to the village. The only person who sees him on a regular basis is his maid, Kymma; I don't think he likes visitors so you'd best be careful."

Layton nodded, "good to know."

"Well then, good day to you," Said Crane before shutting the door and locking it once more.

Luke and Layton turned around and walked away from the church, "he sure does like to run his mouth," Said Luke.

"He seems like a nervous fellow." Said Layton,

"Maybe he had something to do with the murder…" Muttered Luke, thinking aloud

"_If _it was indeed a murder, Luke" pointed-out Layton, "just because no one in town believes that it was natural causes doesn't mean it was murder, we need to gather more evidence first. In the meantime let's go visit this 'Mr. Renaldi.'"

"Good idea." Said Luke, the two of them hopped back into the car and drove through the town and up the hill.

…

The house certainly wasn't the most inviting place on earth. It wasn't a mansion, but it was slightly larger than average, it was painted white with a black roof and black shutters. A garden of white roses which was adequately tended sat in front of the house, and a cobblestone driveway which was in need of repair stretched down to the road. Layton and Luke stepped out of the car and knocked on one of the tall, wooden doors.

A short young woman answered the door, "hello." She said,

"Hello," replied Layton, "you must be Kymma."

"Yes, are you here to see Mr. Renaldi?"

"If this is a convenient time…?"

"Oh no, it's fine, Mr…"

"Professor Hershel Layton"

"And my name is Luke Triton." Added Luke,

"Mmhmm," said Kymma, looking the two up and down, "he's in the library, please follow me."

"Thank you."

Kymma turned on her heel and led them through the house, her red curls bouncing behind her. Faded portraits lined the hall, Luke's eyes landed on a family portrait of a man, a woman, and a teenager who he assumed was their son, a son who was now fifty four. Kymma stopped at the end of the hall and opened the door, "Mr. Renaldi?" She asked, opening the door just a crack. "You have visitors."

"Send them in." Grunted a voice from inside,

Kymma opened the door and let the two inside. Luke's jaw dropped when he saw who it was sitting there. His grey hair was now streaked with white and he wore a pair of half-moon glasses to disguise his face, but he could tell almost immediately who this man really was, and his name was most certainly _not _David Renaldi.

"Renaldi's" eyes widened, "Kymma" he said, not taking his eyes off of Luke and Layton, "leave us."

Kymma's eyes narrowed, she glanced at him, then at Luke and Layton, and then slowly walked out, shutting the door behind her.

"_Dimitri?" _Asked Luke, staring at the man before him agape,

"Hello Luke," he said, "I wish I could say it's good to see you both, but that would be a lie."


	2. Chapter 2: It all makes sense

_Thanks for the reviews! And, WHOOPS! I forgot this in the first chapter, so here it is:_

_I do not own Professor Layton, or level-5. _

_Anyways, on with the story!_

Chapter two

Dimitri gestured to two armchairs sitting across from him, "please, sit down."

Professor Layton and Luke sat down; Dimitri shut his eyes and massaged his temples with his left hand, as if recovering from a splitting headache. "I don't believe this" he sighed "I never thought I'd see you two again."

"The feeling is mutual" grunted Luke, who received a sharp glance from Layton.

"When did you come here?" Asked Layton, curious,

Dimitri opened his eyes and glared slightly; the two now noticed that he wore tinted brown contacts. "I went to prison for _eight _years, Professor," He snarled. It was then that Luke realized that not all of the white streaks in Dimitri's hair were from a bottle; prison had aged him quite a bit.

"When my sentence finally finished, I left London. I couldn't stay of course; I'm not as infamous as Clive, but, people did know my face. So I packed a suitcase and just left" he gestured to the room around him "I inherited this house and everything in it from my Father, twenty-five years ago, after he died. The house is legally mine, so I decided to stay here. I hoped to live the rest of my life away from the disaster that I helped to create" he laughed mirthlessly, "and then you show up at my doorstep."

"We're sorry to disturb you." Said Layton,

"Never mind that; what brings you here?"

"We've come to ask you about Beatrice Clarkson."

Dimitri froze for a moment, and swallowed hard, "you've heard about her then?"

"Yes" replied Layton,

"Her husband as well?"

"Reverend Crane told us about Beatrice, and Wallace." Layton sighed, "He thought we should talk to you, he told us you found the body…"

"_Kymma, _found her body" corrected Dimitri, "I'm just the one who called the police."

"Oh," said Layton, "perhaps we should talk to Kymma as well; but first I'll ask you a few questions."

Dimitri adjusting his position in the chair, crossing his long legs and slouching slightly, "go ahead."

"Where were you when the body was found?" Asked Layton giving Luke a quick nudge, Luke quickly pulled a notepad and pen from his bag.

"In here" replied Dimitri, "in this very chair as a matter of fact, reading. Suddenly, I heard Kymma screaming at the bottom of the hill, I went to see what had happened, and there she was."

"You mean Beatrice?"

"Yes, just lying there at the foot of the road. It was as if she had been laid out for her wake; her hands lay flat at her sides, she wore her best dress, her eyes were closed…from far away it looked as if she had just sort of, fallen asleep."

"How did she die?"

"I don't know for sure" replied Dimitri, "I didn't see the autopsy report; I'm not even sure if they performed an autopsy, for that matter." A sudden thought crossed Dimitri's mind "_however, _there was a sort of, white, residue over her lips and chin, as if she had been foaming at the mouth and someone had done a poor job of cleaning it up."

Luke gasped and scribbled _POISONED?! _Onto the notepad in big letters.

Layton glanced at the note and then back at Dimitri, "do you believe she was poisoned?"

"Possibly" replied Dimitri, "but there was a rumor circulating that she had epilepsy, so she might have had a fit. But if she had suddenly come down with something she probably would have been sprawled out on the pavement, this was far too neat. The police took over almost immediately after I called."

Layton silently agreed with him. "Do you remember anything else?"

"Not about the body. One thing I do know is that the lead investigator on this case is a man named Clear, Jonathan Clear I believe. Maybe you should talk to him in the morning."

"Very well, that's all the questions I have for you." The three of them stood from their chairs, "now if we could talk to Kymma?"

"Of course," Dimitri walked over to the door and opened it, and found himself face to face with Kymma, rooted to the spot, eyes wide with shock.

Dimitri's eyes widened; she had heard everything. What could he say now? "…Kymma,"

She took in a sharp breath, turned around, and ran down the hall. "Kymma!" Dimitri shouted after her. Layton and Luke watched her, suddenly feeling guilty about what had happened.

Dimitri stood there in silence, he finally said, "go, see yourselves out." Layton and Luke slowly turned around and walked out of the house.

"Poor Kymma," said Luke as they left.

"Yes," sighed Layton, "it must be a terrible shock to her, she probably feels betrayed."

Luke nodded in agreement as they climbed into the car. As they drove down the hill, Luke found his eyelids growing heavy; they needed to find a place to stay soon.

Suddenly, Layton slammed on the breaks; Luke gave a surprised yelp as they screeched to a halt, inches away from hitting a young couple walking in the street. They didn't even seem to have noticed that they had come close to being hit by a car.

_Oh, for crying out loud, _thought Luke as he and Layton climbed out of the car. "You two" said Layton, trying hard to keep his composure, "are you alright?"

The woman turned and looked at him; her appearance was, to say the least, shocking. She wore nothing more than a black and red tube top, which was not much more than a very thin strip of fabric, and a pair of fishnet stockings with and a very short pair of red leather shorts. Her black hair was tied into two voluminous pigtails and three metal rings had been inserted into her bottom lip.

"Yeah, sure Mr.!" She said, with a pronounced slur in her speech. "I'm fine!" Her breath smelled of hard liquor, she was very drunk.

"Anita" said the young man next to her, "weren't we headed somewhere?"

Anita giggled, "Of course, Jules!"

"Jules" looked up at Layton and Luke, "hey you" he pointed at Layton, "yeah you, top hat. What're you doing talking to my girl?"

"Are you aware that you were just nearly hit by a car?" Asked Luke with exasperation,

"We weren't talking to you, pretty boy!" Said Anita, winking one eye at him, Luke took a step back, insulted.

"My apprentice is right."

Jules stared at them for a moment, "sure, whatever." He muttered, "Hey, you're not from around here are you?"

"No" replied Layton, "we're here to…"

"I don't care why you're here; just so you know, my Gran owns a bed and breakfast down the street, it's the only one this town has. Drive down the street, the sign says "Inn", can't miss it!" Jules turned back to Anita, "now if you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to." His hand wandered down her waist as they walked away.

Luke gave Layton a look, "people in this town are very…eccentric."

"All the same, I think we should take his advice, we do need somewhere to stay."

_If his Grandmother is anything like him, I don't want to stay at her hotel. _Thought Luke, but he didn't dare say it.

The two climbed back into the car and followed the man's directions down the street until they found a small, square building with a rickety sign next to the door. The sign read "Inn."

…

The inn was nothing to write home about. The walls were dark blue with various black and white photographs hanging on the wall. The lights were dim and flickering, casting an eerie glow around the room. A few red plush chairs sat near the walls along with tall green plants. It was nothing glamorous, but it was warm, and dry. The front desk was the same shade of blue as the walls and empty, with a prominent bell sitting on it.

Luke walked up to the desk and rang the bell twice. "One minute!" Shouted a voice from down the hall, a door creaked open and a plump, elderly woman with gray hair that hung just above the floor stepped out. "Sorry about that, I was on the phone with my grandson."

"Jules?" Asked Luke,

The woman gave a slight eye roll, "Jules, that's what his girlfriend calls him, yes. Everyone else calls him 'Julian'." She shook her head, "Anita…" the woman looked back up at them, "anyways, how can I help you two?"

"One room please" Began Layton.

The woman looked down at the guest book and nodded, she pulled a key off the wall. "One room, two double beds; will that be alright for you?"

"Perfect."

"My name is Beverly Jenkins if you need anything. What's the name?"

"Layton."

Beverly wrote the name in the guestbook, her eyes landed on an envelope in front of her. "Layton?" She asked, "Hershel, Layton?"

"…Yes, why?"

Beverly handed him an envelope, "this letter arrived for you; hand delivered, no stamp. I figured they had the wrong address, but, here you are!"

Layton cautiously took the envelope. It had HERSHEL LAYTON scrawled across the front of it in crooked, pointed letters. He opened the envelope, and nine copper circles tumbled out, clattering to the floor. Luke picked each of the coins up. "Pennies?" He muttered; he realized that one of the pennies had a hole going straight through it, leaving only the outer edges intact. Layton unfolded the piece of paper enclosed:

"Dear Hershel and Luke,

I trust by now you have heard the news of poor Mrs. Clarkson's death, but don't worry, I can assure you her end was well deserved. Let me clear something else up; I am by no means a madman.

If I am taken to court I expect to be charged with premeditated murder, as that is what I did, and I am not ashamed of it.

When I heard that someone had called you to this town at first I was very angry. But then I realized that maybe you two will play my game. No one in this town likes to play games, but I know you do.

I'm deeply sorry that you came too late to save Mr. and Mrs. Clarkson, but if you get this puzzle right, you can save my next victim, though if you knew why they needed saving, you might not want to.

Enclosed are nine American pennies. Go over everything you know about them, no matter how trivial it may seem.

It all makes sense, when you add it up.

-M-"


End file.
